This invention relates to a mounting structure with improved stiffness characteristics, and more particularly, to a structure on which a component, such as a vehicle door, may be selectively mounted and a method for increasing the stiffness of the structure.
Mounting structures are used and/or formed on various assemblies, such as automotive vehicles, to provide support to components which are selectively mounted to the assemblies. For example and without limitation, automotive vehicles include mounting structures or portions of the vehicle body or frame on which components, such as vehicle doors, liftgates or hoods, are typically and selectively mounted.
One type of mounting structure, commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cpillarxe2x80x9d, is a portion of the vehicle frame or body which is used to mount and support a vehicle door. Particularly, a hinge member is typically fixedly and rigidly coupled to the pillar and to the vehicle door, and allows the door to be operatively supported by the pillar and to be pivotally movable between an opened and closed position. As such, the pillar is an integral component of a vehicle door system, and directly effects the functionality of the vehicle door system. Particularly, since a vehicle door is typically mounted to a pillar, the stiffness characteristics of the pillar are critical to the performance of the door.
For example and without limitation, the stiffness of the pillar has a direct and significant effect on conventional door system performance measurements and/or criteria, such as door xe2x80x9cdrop-offxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9csagxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cfull open overload or twistxe2x80x9d measurements. The stiffness characteristics of the pillar are especially critical to these measurements or criteria in certain localized regions of the pillar that are in relative close proximity to the mounting location of the door (e.g., regions around the hinge). Due to the effect that the stiffness of the pillar has on these performance criteria, efforts have been made to further strengthen or stiffen the pillar to allow a vehicle door system to meet and/or exceed its respective functional requirements.
Methods of strengthening and/or increasing the stiffness of these mounting structures or pillars typically include attaching or welding additional structures or members to the pillar or using additional (e.g., thicker or heavier gage) material to form or manufacture the pillar. These types of methods suffer from some drawbacks. For instance, the additional materials or structures used by these methods undesirably increase the overall weight and cost of the vehicle and adversely effect fuel economy. Furthermore, the determination of the precise locations in which the materials should be added is typically performed on a xe2x80x9ctrial and errorxe2x80x9d basis. This xe2x80x9ctrial and errorxe2x80x9d procedure requires a significant amount of time before yielding an optimized result, and may consume an excessive amount of material and/or prototypes.
There is therefore a need for a mounting structure and a method for increasing the stiffness of a mounting structure which overcomes the drawbacks of prior mounting structures and methods for increasing the stiffness of such mounting structures.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a mounting structure and a method for increasing the stiffness of a mounting structure which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior methods and structures.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a mounting structure having improved stiffness characteristics in certain localized areas which are critical to the performance of the mounting structure.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide a mounting structure which operatively supports a vehicle door, and which improves certain performance characteristics of the door.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a method for increasing the stiffness of a mounting structure which does not undesirably increase the overall weight and cost of the mounting structure.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a mounting structure is provided. The mounting structure includes a first region on which a component is selectively mounted and a bead which is integrally formed within the structure and which substantially circumscribes the region, the bead being effective to stiffen the mounting structure.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for increasing the stiffness of a mounting structure on which a component is selectively attached. The method includes the steps of determining a region on which the component is selectively mounted; and forming a continuous bead within the mounting structure and around the region, thereby increasing the stiffness of the mounting structure.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and by reference to the following drawings.